The Unknown Bridegroom OR, THE MYSTERIOUS WEDDING RING.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 315, 26 November 1910, Page 7

The Unknown Bridegroom OR, THE MYSTERIOUS WEDDING RING.

(AH Rights Reserved.}'

By the Author of "Stella,"- "Twe Keys," Etc., Etc.

PART 8. The moment Florence caught sight Of her guardian and Mr. Carrol she sprang forward to meet them. '*oh, it was broken !" she sorrowfully exclaimed, and with starting tears, as she caught sight of hi.' bandaged arm in its sling. "Pray do not be disturbed, Mis? Ilichardson : it is not a bad break, and will soon be a.ll right again." the young man smilingly replied. TJu n he continued glancing at his watch : "I shall be. obliged to take leave of you immediately if I aui to catch the ten-thirty train immediately for I.ondon. Good-bye. Mr. Seaver ; it has given me great, pleasure t'o make your acquaintance, and I shall look eagerly forward to our reunion a month later." The lady warmly shook hands with him, at the same time expressing her gratitude for his brave act of that morning.

Then he turned to Florence. "You have saved my life. Mr. Cafe rol," she tremulously observed. ae she gave him her hand and looked gravely into his eyes. "It is a great debt to owe you, and I hope you will believe that I am proportionately grateful

"You are all determined to overestimate what I did upon the impulse of the moment," lie smilingly returned, but giving the hand he held an involuntary pressure, which instantly brought the colour back to her hitherto pale cheeks. "It was i.'ortimaie for me that you had the impuls*?, and were brave enough" to act upon it," Florence return'd : and the words sent a. hot llush of shame to Addison Merrill's brow.

Mr. Carrol gave the fair speaker a luminous smile; then lifting his hat in farewell to the ladies, and bowing courteously to Mr. Merrill. he turned away, accompanied by Mr. Seaver, who insisted upon going ashore to get a carriage for him and attend to having his luggage transferred to it. He saw him safely off, showering cautious and good wishes upon him. together with anticipations of meeting him again a month later, then returned to the steamer to hasten the departure of his own party. In less than a half-hour they were pleasantly though temporarily installed in a fine hotel, where they were to rest a few days before starting upon their tour through Scotland. Mr. Merrill bade them a: reluctant au revoir.

Mr. Carrol caught, his train for London, where he arrived some hours later, weary, dusty, and almost exhausted by pain, for the twinges which the doctor had prophesied had overtaken him with a vengence. He proceeded directly to some lodgings where he had stopped once before, and, engaging his old room, went directly to bed, where he remained most of the time for the next few da.\s, until his arm and shoulder got much belter.

The first day that he went out, as he was returning to his lodgings, he encountered quite a crowd that had gathered in front of a chemist's shop at the corner of a street near his lodgings. "What has happened '?" he inquired of a bystander.

"There's a poor little beggar inside then*, sir. who dropped down in a dead faint out. here « minute ago," the man gravely replied. Mr. Carrol forced his way info the shop and up <<-> a counter, where he found stretched upon it in an unconscious state a poor, emaciated little '."ellow, who looked to lie about sight years of age.

ITo was as colourless as a piece oi marble, except. where the grime and filth of the streets had left, their mark. Me was ragged and povertystricken beyond description, barefooted, and his feet, and legs were badly scarred, as if from some' accident—the blue veins showing vividly ben-'ath the tightly-drawn skin upon his fa.ee and temples, the cords standing out with ghastly distinctness on his thin neck, while the pinched and sunken look about, his mouth was pitiable in the extreme. "Is it possible that no one here knows who this child is ?" .Mr. Carrol inquired. ".No." replied Iho chemist. "There has been a crowd in here, but no one seemed to k;-ow who he. was." "Then I would live to take charge of the poor little waif, and see what. I can do for him," Mr. Carrol observed. "J will take him to my lodging's, get a doctor, and look after him until there is a change either for better or worse. Here is my address if there should be any inquiries," concluded Mr. Carrol, who had been writing while he talked. Then lie gathered the child into his arms —he was Aery fragile and light — and bore him quickly from the place a womanly tenderness shining in his face.

Me proceeded straight to his lodgings, and by that time the boy showed' sign ; of returning consciousness, lie (leposited his burden upon a couch in his rooms, and then went for his doctor, who lived almost next door. The doctor found that the boy had almost been starved t<: death, and ordered him some light food.

Mr. Carrol's landlady was able, to quickly supply vviijt, was required, and the boy showed immediate improvement.

The liext. day, after a good night s sleep and more good, nourishing food, the boy was very much better, so that Mr. Carrol was able tc get to a neighbouring outfitter's, where he procured a full suit of inexpensive but neatly-made clothes, with suitable undergarments, stockings, shoes, etc., and then returned, intending to sc& what soap, water, and clean attire would do for his protege when he should be able to b< dressed. A batb and the cleaA clothing uiadi

a wonderful change m the little fellow, and when he v.-as fully dressed, and his hair combed and brushed. Mr. Carrol permitted him to look in the glass. An expression of astonishment lighted his face as lie gazed at the reflected figure —a pale, spirituallooking boy, with delicate, refiner; features and remarkably beautiful ;yc-s.

Close questioning induced the boy to tell what he knew of his antecedents. ITe had been an inmate ot the workhouse, where continued illtreatment forced him to run away, and he became the associate of street gamins, newsboys, and bootblacks, who passed their nights in a. low district in the East-end. Tie was called dim, and having for a time been in the habit of sleeping in a crockery crate, he bore the nickname of .Tim-o'-the-Crockery-Craf e. Tlis only warm friend was n young man named Tom I'ill, a fireman. After a. few days, when dim had recovered his strength. Mr. Carrol arranged for his young (harge to go to a private school which was kept by a worthy woman in the neighbourhood. and by agreeing to pay an ?xt rn sum for tuition, the lady promised to take especial pains with :ier new pupil. Then Mr. Carrol endeavoured to find a trace of Tom .Pi I. After a

ong search he discovered him in an lospital for disabled firemen. :1 suf"erer from an accident I hat hail occurred nearly two years previously, causing a crippled leg. Otherwise the man was in fairly good health. Mr. Carrol announced his business, and Tom Pill told him all lie knew regarding Jim. Hie waif. "It's a little over six years ago." he said, "when the fire occurred at !he Ardniore Hotel, in Castlemaineqreet. When our engine dashed up :he fire was all over the house, and

1 wasn't no use !o try to sa\e the louse. The most we could do was to prevent the llanies spreading in o the other houses. Everybody was thought to le oul : but all of a •sudden there came an awiul scream "rom a winder on the tilth floor, an ft big groan was let loose when 'twas found that a woman an a

)aby was still in that 'ere biirnin she 1!. Nobody wanted to risk goin" to "em. for there was little 'ope of ■ver reachin' 'em. let alone savin 'em. I was the only man in the Company that hadn t a lauiily. an I said T'd try it. Ladders were hoisted. an' up 1 went like a squirrel. I was more active than I am now. When I got to the woman, she was whiter nor any sheet ; but she was game, I tell yer. She reached the Itabv down to me atot'e I got to t lu; ■op. " "Yer stronger n I. alt sureroo I ed.' she said : ' save him. an' I'll a.ke care o' myself.' "So I went fust with the young 3ne. an' she followed as close as she .•ould. Hut . Lord"—here the man's ijis grew tremulous, and lie turned lis cvos \vav ironi his i/tiuipanion—'somehow the little fellow s clothes jot. afire in pa-sin' a winder, where Lilt' flames burst, out suddenly on us though I hey put. n stream on trout lelow afore the woman got into it in' the clothes was all ablaze in a iiinute. an' lie yellin' like murder. 1. ;ried to smother it out. but the kid s ;ioor little legs was burned orful if ore we got. down." "Ail. this explains how these unsightly sears came on dim's limbs, Mr. Carrol here interrupted. "Yes, sir : an' I'll n"ver lorgeC low I felt when I saw tii'in great ilisters on the 1 Oor little chap. If t. had been me I wouldn't ha' flinched : but to see that 'ere tender : :aby sqiiii'inin' an' sul'f'rin' was

nore'n I could si ami. ;m' I was just viidy to blubber. when the woman .otiched ground an' reached mil to :a!p !ii:11. I'ut just thai minute a ifick came tumblin' dov.n from (he a!!. hit I lie ladder, bounded off. and <l ruck her plump on (lie head." "Ah ! " ejaculated Tom Dill's lis:ener. with ji shudder. "She dropped like lead where she itood. an' tlt n she and l lie baby were trimdhd oil in (lie ambulance to Ihe 'ospit al. " "Oh. did slie die'?" demanded C n rrol. with almost breathless eageraess. "\o, poor thing' !" returned Tciii, with a sorrowful shake of lbs head. "I was so cut tip over the baby's bein' burned on my hands I went to the 'nspitaJ ivery blessed visitin dav to see how he was get tin along'. II is t'eel. and legs was terrible Sore Tor a while, hut they heal:>d first, rate, though the scars used . o make my e\es water. Alter a while lie got to Know me. an' would lance an caper lit to make my heart, glad ivery lime I showed my obi face inside the door:" and a smile of pleasure, lighted the man's face at the remembrance.

"How old was lie.?" Mr. Carrol inquired. "Nigh on two year, 1 should say, in' lv wasn't, i.o common sort, o !, a bv either, ' Tom Hill continued, impressj ve!,\ . "1 couid a sworn he had bine blood in him. "What made you think, that?" iu:jllii t d his companion. "Wall, he looked it. ivery inch of him. an' in spile u f the hubbub an' danger, the night o' the lire 1 took note of the clothes lie had on, an' liny was like some o' 1 hem fancy things ye'll see in th' tip-top shops in llegent.-si reet. "I wonder if they were preserved?"

-aid Mr. Carrol. itiqu iri tig I.\". "1 don't thin'-:, sir : they was scorched an' burned almost to a cinder a lore wr got to t lie ground, an' :ic>l- worth 1 uiipence, "

"Weli. now tell me something übout the woman." commanded Unvoting man, wit li a regretiul sigh. •'Weil. sir. she was ill a lonfj time from that 'ere hurt, on the head, ait when she did begin to mend it was found that her brain didn't work right-, an' sh > couldn't remember anything; that ad 'appened. an she paid no more heed to the baby than if .she'd never seen him betore. "Ho you niea.it that the blow troln that brick left her an idiot inquired Mr, Carrol, in a shocked "Lone.

"Well, something- after that sort, I'm thinkin'," replied Tom Pill. "She knew enough to eat an' drink, wash, iron, an' scrub, but she couldn't tell her own name, not where she came from, n or nothin' else the people wanted to Know about '• Is she livin' now ?" "Yes, sir, an' she be as welt an strong as .verse 1 .'." "Where is she ?" "At the where she have

been, over since." "Can any one get permission u" visit her?" inquired the young man. eagerly.

"Yes, sir: but little good it'll do yer to see her. Ye may ask her forty questions, an' she'll look at yer in a da zed kind o' way for a minute an' then go 011 with her scrubbin'. 1 know, for l'\c tried to make her taik no end o' limes."

"When did you go to see her last ?" Alt. Carrol inquired.

"Jt.'s six months or more, 1 reckon. My rheumatic have made mr so lame an' stiff. J couldn't git about very well." Tom J>ill explained. "What name is she known by at the hospital '?" "The help about the house call °er Mad Mob. but I've heard the misses speak gentle to her, and call her Mary. She be very good to worl-j. mindin' what's told her, an' makes no talk."

"Ho you Chink she could be tin rhild's mother'? Pid he look like her?" questioned Carrol. "Na. sir. she didn't." the man returned, in a positive wisper. "Shi. was no mot her to him."

"What, makes you think so? Ilow. then, did they happen to be together ?" " "I'wns plan enough, sir. let alone the nurse's rap an' apron she had on : aiv" 'hat wor another thing that, made me think the little chap was a toli." Air. Carrol at last began to feel that lie was gleaning some ra> s oi light in connection wi'h the little ivaif \v]]n had so strangely fallen title his hands. Everything thus far tended to showthat dim had come from a good family. Carrol had felt, sure ot this in his own mind before this interview with the fireman, for lie was very far from being a commonlooking child. lie had a well-shaped head, with lelicate. refined features, his g]os>\. brown hair was as fine as silk, his hands and feet were small and symnet rica! l.v formed . And now. added lo these self-evi-dent points, to lea i'n that he had riei-n richiy clad and stopping with lis nurse in a first -class hotel n n .he nigln of i hi? lire, were f.-ictsfhat llTorded Mr. Carrol no little satis'act ion. lie wondered if the boy's parents had also been inmates of the ill'a> ed hot c! and had perished in t lie lames, notwithstanding" the fireman's assertion that it was supposed everybody had escaped. One of two things he felt sure must be the fact. —either they had fallen victims in the narfui contlagraf ion. or they could not, have been in the

lli' asked Tnin lhll what h'- thought about it. "Nil. sir. Ih'" ne\er was burned." :ie positively asserted. "for no .if any 1 u>< 1 i«^s was found when the rubbish was cleared awny." V,m\. the woman's iiaiin' must have ;>erii resist ered in Iho hotel books. Did no on.' ihinki lo examine them. :o ascertain who sin; was?" Mr. Carrol inquired. "Yes. sir. I went myself 1o the clerk. but file books was burned, and he told mo lliere'd been no inuiprios :'or the woman or the baby. It's a iur/./.le. sir—a pu/.zle that. I fear me. will never be cleared up." Ihe man roneluded. with n .crave sluiko of his aead. Mr. Carrol also feared that such would be the case, but he had no intention of re S inrpi ish iny his efforts Mil' i l he should exhaust every po.— ible lie alls lo solve 1 lie lliyslei'y reii'ardin.n' his nroten-c's identity. 110 1 hanked Tom Hill for his information. and promised to bring .lames to see him very soon : then, ~lippinu' a ueiierous tip into the man's hand, he bade him "(Jood day." and went away. Jle. proceeded directly to the hospital. whore he was referred to Uw head n'irso. CIIAI'TKU X. The head nurse in (he woman's department soon made her appearance, and said that she remembered perfectly all the facts connected with the admission of t lie poor victims of that terrible lire in CasUema ine- < I root..

T)v' woman, who had never been known b\ any other name than Mad Moll, or Mary, had been in a very critical. condition when she was brought In the hospital. She was unconscious, and remained so for a long lime., -i.nd when she did finally come to her se„ses. it was niilv to rave for weeks in the de-

lirium of brain fever. The child, she slated, was very badly burned on his feel, and legs, but he recovered wry <|Uicl\l.\, and being such an attractive cliibl. became the pet of Ihe children's ward.

lie was retained in the institution much longer I ban a. patient, was usually allowed to remain, for it was hoped that the woman would nit imatelv recover and be able i n identify the 11 o\ . when he could be retui net 1 to his parents. "i>';t when "Mary al last began to rally." tile nurse ol Served. "ueWere shocked beyond measure to lind ihat her mind was gone. or. rather. Ihat she coti'd remember nothing' about her previous life, and did not show the faintest recognition of the child, although he knew her instantly th" moment we took him to her. and clung to her u n <n she frightened him by pushing him roughly from her.

As she grew si riinnvr 111■ began to make Ic'i'sel f useful about the wanls. \\a-- quiet and haitd.v , and I hi 1 nurses' pet it ioivd that, she should I"' allowed to remain in the institution as ;1 servant, instead of being sent, to the workhouse. "It w a s a sad day for all the nurses whin it was at length derided that the boy must go. Several ln>d made strenuous efforts to find a .good home for him. but without, avail, and he was Ima'dy sen! to one ol the homes for the poor. I ha\e onlv seen him ;1 couple of times since then, i\.r my duties have been so heavy I could not. go to \ isit hint." the nttrse concluded, with a regretful sigh. Mr. Carrol then related something of what .1 antic's life had been, and how lie had at length fallen info his hands, when, becoming deeply interested in him. he had resolved to •see if he could not trace his friends and restore him m them.

"But ," Ik- concluded, with a doubtful shake of his head, "it looks now as if that would be an impossibility." (To be Continued).